From Friendship to Love
by Obsessed With 52
Summary: Seven missing moments between Ron and Hermione that laid the foundations of a great friendship, and upon which the most powerful love that any two people could share, was built. I don't own Harry Potter.


It had been two days since the incident with the troll. Harry was at Quidditch practice and the Common Room was empty except for two first year students. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. They were doing homework together as Ron needed help understanding the Transfiguration topic assigned to them.

However, Ron and Hermione were not speaking. Ron was watching Hermione as she read and wrote feverishly. Ron looked back at the book from which they were supposed to reading as Hermione stopped working.

'I've finished,' she said, 'how are you getting on?'

'Shite, I don't understand half of this stuff, Hermione,' said Ron.

'Don't swear, Ron. If you're struggling, why didn't you ask me to help you?' said Hermione.

Ron rolled his eyes and said, 'I wanted to ask, but I don't want you to think that I'm only friends with you so you can help me with my homework.'

'I wouldn't have thought that, Ron,' she said.

'Oh, um, all right. But how are you so good at everything? Why can't I be as good as you?' said Ron.

Hermione blushed at Ron's compliment and said, 'Ron, you can do anything if you try. But I don't know if I'm good at everything.'

'But you are! You're brilliant at magic! You're good at listening to the teachers – even Binns! You understand all the stuff McGonagall barks at us,' he said.

Again Hermione blushed, but said, 'Professor McGonagall does not bark! But there is one thing I don't know if I'll be any good at.'

'What's that?' he asked.

'Friendship. Being someone's friend,' she said quietly.

'Of course you'll be good at friendship! You must have had friends in the muggle world?' replied Ron.

Hermione shook her head and said, 'No, Ron, I had no friends at all in the muggle world, and especially not at school. You and Harry are my only ever friends.'

Ron felt terrible, but said, 'I'm sorry. I'm sorry I was horrible to you. But you do have friends now, Hermione. You've got me and Harry. We'll look after you, I promise.'

Hermione was about to correct Ron's grammar, but stopped herself. A tear rolled down her face as she said, 'Thank you, Ron. That means a lot to me.'

'Er, it's all right, like I said, what are friends for?' said Ron kindly.

Hermione smiled and looked around the Common Room to see if they were still alone and gave Ron a hug, and to her surprise, he hugged her right back and whispered, 'You're a great person, Hermione, and anyone who says different is a git, and I'll punch them for you.'

Hermione giggled but said, 'Thank you, but don't get yourself into trouble on my account. I'm not worth it.'

Ron pulled back to look Hermione in the eyes and said, 'Yes, you are.'

0o0

Learning about the legend of the Chamber of Secrets in History of Magic had not eased the tension in Hermione. Hearing that there was a monster in the castle trained to hurt and possibly kill muggle-borns had scared her more than she cared to admit – particularly with the likes of Draco Malfoy around.

Once again she was alone with Ron in the Common Room. Harry was off at Quidditch practice, having been dragged off by Oliver Wood, who had had a mad glint in his eye, and Harry had not dared to say no.

It was odd that the Common Room was empty on a Saturday, but both she and Ron just settled down to do their homework.

Then something extraordinary happened.

Ron finished his essay before Hermione.

In fact, she had not even started it.

'Hermione, are you all right? You haven't even started that essay for Snape,' said Ron.

'I know, I just have things on my mind, Ron,' she replied.

'Do you want to talk about them?' he asked.

'Well, there is one thing, but I'm not sure I should bother you with it,' she said.

'Hermione, we're best friends, you can talk to me about everything,' he told her.

Hermione smiled for a moment and said, 'Best friends?'

'Well, yeah, of course we're best friends. I mean after everything we did last year, what else would we be?' said Ron.

'Right, sorry, it's just I've never had or been a best friend before, so this is all new to me,' she said.

'Good thing I'm here to teach you, isn't it?' he said smiling, 'so, tell me whatever's bothering you – unless it's about that idiot Lockhart.'

Hermione frowned at Ron for the idiot comment about Lockhart, but said, 'I'm scared, Ron. You heard what Binns told us? About a monster that goes after muggle-borns? I'm scared it'll come after me.'

Ron took her hands in his and said, 'I won't let that happen, Hermione. I won't let anyone hurt you – especially not this monster or the person who's controlling the monster either. If someone wants a piece of you, they'll have to go through me first. You're my best friend, Hermione.'

Hermione smiled and gave Ron a hug which Ron returned.

'Thank you, Ron, you're my best friend too.'

0o0

Harry had just left Ron and Hermione to try and talk Professor Lupin out of resigning, leaving Ron and Hermione alone with Hagrid, before they too left their friend's hut.

They walked back towards the school, but stopped to sit under a tree.

'Ron, can I ask you something?' said Hermione.

'You just did, but you can ask me something else if you want,' said Ron.

'Ha-ha, Ron, very funny.'

'I thought so, Hermione, so what do you want to ask me?' said Ron.

'What made you do it, Ron? What on earth possessed you to try and stand on a broken leg and put yourself between a mass murderer, and Harry and myself?' she asked.

'I was trying to be brave, I didn't want either of you to get hurt or worse. You and Harry mean a lot to me. I've never told you this, but you and Harry are the first friends I ever had. Before you two, all I had were people who had no choice but to like me – my brothers and sister. But you and Harry don't have to. You could hate me if you chose to …'

'Ron, I couldn't hate you if I tried. Neither could Harry. And you were brave, at least I thought so. What you did meant a lot to me, and_ you_ mean a lot to me. I missed you when we weren't talking this year,' said Hermione.

'I'm sorry I was so horrible to you this year, Hermione. I missed you too, and you mean a lot to me, as well. Can you forgive me for being the World's Biggest Git, this year?'

'I forgive you. For some reason, Ronald Weasley, I can never stay mad at you.'

Ron and Hermione shared a hug as Ron whispered, 'Thank you, Hermione.'

0o0

Ron could not sleep. He could not stop thinking about the article Rita Skeeter had written in Witch Weekly, about Hermione.

_How could that hag write such horrible things about her? How the hell does Skeeter sleep at night? How can she write lies about a fifteen year old girl? Does she have no conscience?_

Ron sat up and got out of bed. He then grabbed his dressing gown and went downstairs to the Common Room to get away from Neville's snoring and to enjoy sitting by the fire.

But when he got to the couch by the fireplace, he saw someone was already sitting on it.

It was Hermione.

Her hands and fingers were still bandaged from the undiluted Bubotuber Pus that had been inside a hate letter she had received this morning. He had watched her blink back tears as she had run out of the Great Hall to go to the Hospital Wing.

When she had tried to eat dinner, he noticed her struggling to cut up her food. He realised that as her best friend, he should have offered to cut it up for her. But knowing Hermione, she probably would have declined his help with her mile-long independence streak.

However, back to the present. Here was Hermione sitting here all alone and worse, she looked so sad.

'Hermione, please, don't be sad,' he said startling her.

'Ron! You scared me!'

'Sorry, Hermione, but I meant what I said. Please don't be sad. I hate it when you're sad.'

'I can't help it, Ron. Look at my bandages! All that hate-mail! I'm only a fifteen year old girl, Ron, how am I supposed to deal with all these people hating me?'

'You ignore them, Hermione! Those "people" who sent you letters, are just shot-to-fuck nutters, who believe the bollocks that bitch Rita writes! I don't hate you. Harry doesn't hate you. I promise!' he told her passionately.

Hermione could not find it in her to scold Ron for his language as he spoke. She gave him a teary smile and said, 'Thank you, Ron, thank you.'

Ron pulled Hermione into his arms and whispered, 'Don't let the bastards grind you down, Hermione, don't you dare give bitches like Parkinson and Skeeter the satisfaction! And speaking of Parkinson, who the fuck does she think she is to call anyone ugly? She's the ugliest bitch I've ever seen! You, on the other hand, Hermione Granger, are not ugly, and that's another promise from me to you, all right?'

'Oh, Ron,' she said as a few more tears left her eyes.

'Shh, Hermione, please don't cry, I hate it when you cry – especially if I'm the cause of it,' he said pleadingly as he held her tighter.

'You aren't,' she whispered as she tightened her grip on him.

0o0

_'Why do Hermione and I bicker so much in front of Harry and other people? Why? I ask myself this question because whenever we're alone, we get on great. Sometimes she even lets me hug her. Hermione hugs are the best in the whole world, far better than Ginny hugs and mum hugs. I wonder if our hugs mean as much to her as they do to me?_' thought Ron as Harry angrily walked away from them.

Ron turned to Hermione to see tears swimming in her beautiful brown eyes.

'Hermione, I'm sorry,' he said.

'It's not your fault, Ron, I'm just as much to blame as you are. But, why, Ron, why do we always manage to bicker and argue when Harry's around?' said Hermione, wiping her eyes.

'Probably because we have different opinions on occasion, and he gives us things to bicker about,' was his answer.

'That makes sense. But the strange thing is I don't think it's bad that we have these debates like this. I mean, wouldn't life be dull if everyone thought the same way? And I happen to like our verbal sparring, we challenge each other, I just don't like it when we get angry as we do it, because then who knows what the other might say in the heat of the moment?' said Hermione.

'I enjoy our debates too, Hermione, and I think you're right, life would be dull if everyone thought the same way, and I don't like it when we get, I wouldn't say angry, but maybe frustrated is a more accurate term, when we do get into it?' Ron offered.

'Hmm, frustrated, I think you could be right there, Ron. How about this, we'll try and tone it down a bit around Harry, but when it's just us, we can do all the verbal sparring we like?' she said.

'I like that idea, but we should set up rules first. Like one; we don't go to sleep angry or frustrated at the other. I don't like it when you're mad at me, Hermione,' said Ron.

'I agree, in fact, I have a fail-safe idea to make sure we don't go to bed angry or frustrated, do you want to hear it?' said Hermione.

Ron nodded, and said, 'I always like to hear your ideas, Hermione, you know that.'

Hermione blushed a little and said, 'I think that whenever we have a debate, we should always hug afterwards. It's what best friends do, right?'

'A hug after each debate, so we don't go to bed angry or frustrated? I think that's genius, Hermione.'

'So, that's settled is it?' she asked.

'Yeah, I think so,' he replied.

'May I have a hug, then?' she asked.

Ron's ears went red and he said, 'Um, sure, why not?'

Hermione put her arms around him and whispered, 'I like hugging you, Ron, you're always so warm.'

Ron smiled as he held her tighter and whispered, 'I like hugging you too.'

0o0

'Did you mean what you said earlier, Ron?' said Hermione.

Ron turned to see Hermione looking at him with an intense look.

'I said a lot of things earlier, Hermione, you'll have to be more specific than that,' he said, though he knew as to what she was referring.

'Ron, you know what I'm talking about. Did you mean it when you said that you love me, as I was correcting your Dementor essay? Is it because I was correcting your essay, that you said it?' she asked.

'You are my best friend, so why wouldn't I love you? I didn't say it because you were correcting my homework, I promise you. I meant it, Hermione, every word.'

'More than you love Lavender?' she asked.

'Hermione, I don't love Lavender. I never have and I never will. You heard me; I want her to ditch me. I can't ditch her, I don't want to hurt her feelings and make her cry. I don't like it when girls cry, you know that, so yes, I do love you more than I love Lavender,' he said.

Hermione smiled and said, 'Good, because I love you too, Ron.'

Ron then pulled Hermione into a hug not caring if Lavender saw them or not, hell not caring if anyone saw them or not.

Hermione then whispered, 'If you're hugging me hoping that Lavender might catch us, it won't work. She went to bed ages ago.'

Ron kept his arms around her and whispered, 'Bugger. Oh well, at least I get to hold you for a bit longer,' giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Hermione smiled wider and gripped him more firmly and said, 'Don't swear, Ron,' kissing him on the cheek in return.

0o0

Ron had to admit that Shell Cottage was beautiful. He just wishes that he, Hermione and Harry were here under better circumstances. The circumstances being; that Hermione not having to recover from being tortured at Malfoy Manor. She should never have been tortured in the first place. They should never have been caught by the Snatchers. Harry should not have said the fucking name.

But they were here, and Hermione was recovering quite nicely.

She was feeling so much better that she had gone outside to sit on the beach and think.

Ron watched her as she went outside and decided to go and join her. He found her sitting on a blanket on the sand.

'Can I join you?' he asked.

'Oh, um, okay,' she said.

Ron took a seat next to her and said, 'Thanks.'

'No problem,' she replied.

'What are you thinking about?' he asked.

'How do you know that I'm thinking?' she replied.

'You're Hermione, you're always thinking. So come on, let's hear it.'

'I was thinking about why they chose me to torture.'

'Please don't think about that, Hermione,' he said.

'I can't help it, Ron. They chose me because I am a Mudblood.'

'Don't you ever call yourself that horrible fucking word, Hermione Jean Granger!' said Ron angrily.

'Why not? It is what I am! Like I said to Ollivander, a few days ago, Mudblood, and proud of it!'

'Why not? I tell you why not, it's because it's the biggest load of shite there is! Those pure-blood bigots, who are nothing more than ignorant inbred morons, haven't got a bloody clue about muggles, muggle-borns, or you!' he said fiercely.

'Why should they know anything about me? I am a Mudblood, remember?'

'Right, that's it! You listen to me, Hermione Jean Granger, or I'll put you over my knee! You are not an M-word! You are brilliant! You are beautiful! You are extraordinary! You are kind, compassionate, caring, and the best friend anyone could ask for! You are the brightest witch of the age! But more than that, I love you! I love you so much, Hermione! I love you more than anything in the whole world! I'm so in love with you, that if we had lost you, I would have died! You are my whole fucking world, and I want to kill that bitch, I want to kill her fucking master, and then I want to spend the rest of my life with you! I want to kiss you, I want to make you happy, I love you!' Ron said passionately.

Then without another word, Ron pulled Hermione into a kiss.

He kissed her with everything he had, and after a slight delay, Hermione kissed him back with just as much enthusiasm as him.

They broke apart when oxygen became necessary, they leant forward so their foreheads were touching and Hermione whispered, 'I love you too, Ron, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.'

Ron smiled and said, 'Can I still put you over my knee anyway?'

Hermione giggled and said, 'Maybe another day, but for now, just kiss me.'

Ron chuckled and said, 'Does this mean that you'll be my girlfriend?'

'Yes, now shut up and kiss me!' she demanded.

Ron smiled again and their lips met for another red-hot passionate kiss.

0o0

Ron was holding Hermione as they danced their first dance as husband and wife. He held her close to him and felt what she called, "Happy Tears", against his cheek. He then used his fingers to lift her chin to look at her. She had a beautiful smile on her face and he mirrored it.

He gave her another kiss and said, 'Hermione Weasley, what a beautiful name, it's almost as beautiful as you are. But I do have another question for you.'

Hermione gave him another beautiful smile and said, 'What is your question, Ron?'

Ron then leaned down and whispered into her ear, 'Today is our wedding day, so I have to ask, what did I do to deserve you, and how did we get here?'

Hermione smiled and whispered, 'We went from friendship to love in just seven years.'

Ron smiled and said, 'But what took us so long?'

**This fic is dedicated to Emma Watson, who turned 22 today (April 15th). Happy birthday, Emma, I love you!**

**Tom.**


End file.
